


Cupcake Love Story

by Arver7



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Background Relationships, Baker!Alec, Baker!Magnus, Closeted Alec, Cupcake Wars AU, Judge!Magnus, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating subject to change, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-07
Updated: 2016-08-06
Packaged: 2018-07-29 20:29:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7698346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arver7/pseuds/Arver7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alec gets roped into competing in a national baking competition with his sister. Nothing can prepare him for meeting Magnus Bane again.</p><p> </p><p>Or the Cupcake Wars Au no one asked for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cupcake Love Story

**Author's Note:**

  * For [otppurefuckingmagic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/otppurefuckingmagic/gifts).



> So, this is for my amazing and dearest friend Sam. She's not only supportive, and loving; she's also a beautiful soul and I don't know what I'd do without her. Love you, babe! <3

“Come on, Big Brother! You _have_ to do this with me. It’s like the Lightwood Family tradition.”

Alexander Lightwood rolled his eyes and scoffed at his sister’s dramatic antics. He stares at Isabelle, watching her flip through their family’s ancient cookbook. The book was passed down from generation to generation, and it helped them gain notoriety in the gastronomy business all over the world.

Their great-great grandparents opened a small business from their kitchen in Queens which grew to be a multi-million dollar restaurant chain. When their parents took over the business, they expanded the company to include cookbooks, TV-shows, and cookware.

As the eldest, Alec was being groomed to take over; every time Alec thought about the responsibility of a company he has no interest in, it gave him a headache. All he wanted was to open a pastry boutique in Brooklyn and not have to deal with publicity and corporate politics.

 _Snap_!

Alec focuses back on Izzy who is currently snapping her fingers in front of his face with a mischievous smile on her face.

“What?”

“You zoned out again, Alec.” Izzy says exasperatedly at him.

“Sorry, I was just thinking that I _don’t_ want to join the stupid competition,” he said as sternly as he could. It was true, he didn’t want to be a contestant on one of their family’s shows to improve their ratings. And well, Izzy’s cooking was worse than Trump becoming president. Okay, it isn’t worse but it was a close second.

Izzy pouted at him and picked up the flyer from the coffee table. “But it looks so fun and Max can’t do it with me because he’s too young. Come on, Alec. You love baking! Live a little, big brother!”

Alec takes the flyer from Izzy's hand. It's for a baking competition. A _televised_ baking competition their parents are hosting and promoting, and _Magnus Bane_ is on the cover.

“What is this?!” Alec glares at his sister, feeling surprisingly betrayed.

Izzy leans against Alec, looking over the flyer like she hasn’t already done so before. “He’s the main judge for this sibling-themed episode. Why?” She waggles her eyebrows at Alec, “does that change your mind?”

Alec stills, body stiff and he can feel his skin flush with embarrassment. Memories flow through his mind of tanned skin, and gorgeous cat-like hazel eyes surrounded by dark khol. There was a time in his life when he would have done anything to be near Magnus Bane, and this more than anything affirms his decision to not partake in this promotional stunt.

“No,” he says succinctly. “I’m not changing my mind.” Alec glares at his sister, trying to convey how much he no longer wants to talk about this but, as usual, Izzy ignores him.

“Didn’t you guys go to Ecole Nationale Superieure de Patisserie together?” Izzy questions.

“Yeah,” Alec trails off, remembering the three years he spent in a remote city in France learning how to be the best pastry chef he could be . . . and that he was not as straight as he previously thought. Now, ten years later, he was head of the _Pastry & Desserts _ cookbooks their company published and designed. He created the recipes and baked the goods to be photographed; just another way for his parents to control him and make sure he was part of the future of the company.

Izzy’s eyes shine with curiosity. “What’s he like?”

“Eccentric,” Alec smiles, thinking about their late night talks and Magnus’ incomparable fashion sense. “Dramatic, for sure,” Alec rolls his eyes, remembering all the arguments Magnus would start with their instructors. The word _beautiful_ crosses his mind and he closes his mouth to make sure he doesn’t say that one out loud. He had only talked about his _acquaintance_ with the infamous Magnus Bane at the ENSP with Lydia Branwell, his best friend and sometimes girlfriend.

“ _Alec_ ,” Izzy growls. “You’re acting seriously weird.” She looks at him with concern in her eyes.

“I’m not,” he scowls at her. He walks towards the window of their loft, watching people rush off to and from work. Alec glares at them, all living a mundane existence. One he will be forced to live if his parents have their way.

“I know you never want to participate in any of the family functions, Alec. But . . .” Izzy trails off to watch the people alongside Alec, “but I think this one will be good for you. You can reconnect with someone who knew you before you got all grumpy _aaaand_ you can show the world what an amazing baker you are. Nobody knows you’re the one who writes all the recipes for the pastry cookbooks. You should get some credit for that.”

Alec sighs and lays his head against the window. He can’t tell Izzy why he doesn’t want to ‘reunite’ with Magnus or bake in front of national television. All Alec has ever wanted was to own a small pastry shop in the middle of nowhere, to create and experiment with different flavors. He wants to get to know the locals who go to his shop by name, and maybe own a cat who tolerates him more than dislikes him.

All he’s ever wanted was an easy existence, not the corporate world his parents have shoved down his throat since he was old enough to have a conscious thought.

“I don’t know, Izzy.” He turns to her and watches empathy wash over her face. She leans into him and hugs him tight, her small form tucked safely to his side.

“I know you don’t want to be a part of this. Do what you love, big brother. I’d support you with _anything_.” She says the last word with emphasis, and something cold and warm hit Alec like a bag of bricks. She can’t know.

“I do,” she whispers softly against him, like she read his mind.

“Alec! Alec! Alec!” Max yelled as he banged on the apartment door and scared both Alec and Izzy apart.. Alec groaned, unprepared for his younger brother this early in the morning.

Izzy laughs and pats him on the arm as she walks towards the door to let their youngest brother in.

"Where’re mom and dad?” She asks as she closes the door.

Alec watches as Max makes a beeline to the couch and throws his duffle bag onto the floor before flinging his small body to the cushions.

Max shrugged and kicked off his shoes. “They had to work. It’s just you, Izzy, and me for the whole week!”

Alec smiles at his brother’s enthusiasm, making his way towards the kitchen to start breakfast.

“Come here and help me make frittatas.”

Max looks at Izzy gleefully. “I’m so tired from carry my heavy bag. Carry me, Iz!”

Izzy laughs and ruffles Max’s hair before she sits on the high chair in the breakfast nook of Alec’s chef bar.  

“I want chives in mine,” she commands as she takes out her phone.

Alec rolls his eyes and takes out the ingredients he needs for breakfast. He gets lost in cooking, pushing all thoughts about Magnus and the corporate world away, and does what he loves. He makes the frittata and starts on dessert, creating a breakfast theme lemon bars.

“What’s this?” Max asks as he’s being helped up one of the high chairs. “Is he wearing make up?”

“That’s Magnus Bane. He’s a famous patissier who works in Brooklyn. He went to school with Alec a long time ago,” Izzy answers, giving Alec a sidelong glance. “And yes, he’s wearing pretty fierce make up, don’t you think, Alec?”

Alec glares at his sister, ignoring her cheeky grin and checking on the lemon bars. It’s good to know one thing hasn’t changed from the young man he used to know. The makeup and the jewelry were more a part of Magnus than even his love of cooking.

“Are you going to do it?” Max asks with all the excitement of a child. “Alec, it would be so cool! You always make the best desserts! You could win! _And you’d be on TV!_ ” Max continues excitedly, not allowing Alec the chance to respond.

“Oh, Max. You’re going to be disappointed to know that _Alec_ refuses to do this with me. Can you believe him?” Izzy mock pouts.

“Alec! Doooo iiitttt,” Max begs. “Maybe you can help Izzy make something yummy.” The _for once_ is left unsaid.

Izzy gasps, outraged. “I’ll have you know, I just have an eclectic taste in food, something that you guys just haven’t been able to understand.” She glares at both her siblings, taking a bite of the fritatta.

“Besides,” Max continues around a bite of food, “you can take me with you and I can try all the desserts they make.” Max trails off with a dreamy look.

After breakfast, he has Izzy take Max to get changed and watch a movie while Alec cleans up the kitchen. It's his favorite room in the house. The kitchen is where he feels the most free, the most himself, and he lingers there for as long as he can without risking one of his siblings coming to get him.

He takes the tray of lemon bars to the living room where he finds Izzy and Max fighting over the remote, throwing pillows and blankets all over the floor. They stop as soon as they notice he's standing over them, giving Alec identical cheeky grins.

“She did it!” Max points at Izzy before scrambling back to the couch in front of the coffee table, closest to the dessert Alec notices.

“Those are still cooling down, Max,” he warns before helping Izzy set everything back in a semblance of order.

They sit watching a marathon of _River Monsters_ , and Alec tunes it out. He thinks about his plans for the future. His secret plans that he’d made so long ago. He’d run away from them before. Fear and shame painting his goals more than anything and that had gotten him nowhere but here, a puppet for his parents to use.

He looks at the flyer, sitting on the coffee table, staring at the man that changed his heart so many years ago. He looks older now, but no less beautiful. Maybe he can take a chance on himself, show his parents his skill and talk them into understanding his dreams.

If anything else fails, at least he can see Magnus again.

“I’ll do it.” He says out of nowhere. Both his siblings turn to look at him, shock and excitement on both their faces.

“Yes!” Max yells as he raises his hands, waiting for Alec to give him high fives.

“You’re not going to regret this, big brother.” Izzy tackles Alec onto the couch.

Alec really hopes he doesn’t.

**Author's Note:**

> I have an unhealthy love for Foodnetwork shows like Chopped and Cupcake Wars, AND Shadowhunters; so I decided to combine my two loves and made this Cupcake War AU. It's my first work in the fandom and I'm still trying to develop my skill in creative writing so bear with me. 
> 
> Thanks to the wonderful Moit for reading this over. Any mistakes that are left are my own.
> 
> Please let me know if I'm missing any tags!


End file.
